Taeniolabis

Taeniolabis ("banded incisor")Palmer 1904, p 659. From Greek is a genus of extinct multituberculate mammal from the Paleocene of North America.

Description

Taeniolabis is a member of the Taeniolabidoidea, a superfamily of multituberculates that are known for their highly derived teeth, and a short wide snout with a blocky head.Kielan-Jawoworska and Hurum, 2001 The teeth modifications were likely an adaptation for herbivory that may have resulted from rapid diversification of angiosperms at the very end of the Cretaceous, which would thus have created opportunities for novel specialization in herbivores.Wilson et al, 2012, pp 458-459 T. taoensis possessed an elongate, gently curved cochlear canal and an enlarged vestibule. It is the largest known multituberculate, as well as the largest allotherian mammal,Rose 2006, p 60Krause et al 2021, p 1085 with T. taoensis weighing up to . Species under this genus have been known under other names.Palebiology Database Taeniolabis taoensis is found frequently enough and in a very limited time range that it can be used as an index fossil for the Puercan faunal stage within Danian aged fossil deposits.Simmons 1987Krause et al 2021, p 1085

Taxonomy History It is within the suborder of Cimolodonta and is a member of the superfamily Taeniolabidoidea. The genus was named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1882.Cope 1882, pg 604-605 Species have also been placed with the genera Catopsalis and Polymastodon.

Species Taeniolabis lamberti was named by Nancy Simmons in 1987.Simmons 1987, pp 802-804 It has been found in the Danian aged Tullock Formation of Montana. It is not quite as large as T. taoensis, but still a hefty size for a multituberculate, weighing around .

Taeniolabis taoensis was originally named Taeniolabis sulcatus by Cope in 1882 as the type species of the genus.Cope 1882, pg 604-605 It was later renamed as T. taoensis. Known fossils date to approximately 64 million years of age.Wilson et al, 2012 Supplemental Table 5 They are found in Danian aged deposits of the Nacimiento Formation of New Mexico, the Ravenscrag Formation of Saskatchewan and the Denver Formation of Colorado.Krause et al 2021, p 1086 This species likely had a roughly long skull and had an average body mass of , which is approximately the size of a modern beaver. The species was once considered to have had a body mass of up to 100 kg and sized like a sheepCope 1882, p 605 or larger by extrapolating body size on the basis of their huge teeth. However, improved analyses and the realization that the teeth were extraordinarily robust due to herbivory rather has generally disproved that.Krause et al 2021, p 1085 with lengthy discussion about estimates of sizeWilson et al, 2012 Supplemental Table 5

Notes

References

Taeniolabis

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